Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A controller for a solid-state storage device, which is connected to a host system and the solid-state storage device, the controller comprising: a mode table in which the operation mode of the solid-state storage device is settable to one of “Writing/Reading” and “Waiting” modes; a monitor which monitors the operation mode of the solid-state storage device and sets the operation mode of the solid-state storage device in the mode table; a buffer memory including first and second storage areas; a timer which counts a preset given time in response to an instruction to start counting and sends a deadline notification when the given time is elapsed; a command responder which, when receiving a write command from the host system, receives write data transmitted from the host system within a predetermined period after the write command, holds write data in the first storage area of the buffer memory, and thereafter outputs a write instruction to write data to the solid-state storage device if the operation mode of the solid-state storage device is confirmed as “Waiting” in reference to the mode table, and which, when receiving a read command from the host system, instructs the timer to start counting and thereafter outputs a read instruction to read data from the storage system if the operating status of the solid-state storage device is judges as “Waiting” in reference to the mode table; and a data processor which, in response to the write instruction by the command responder, reads data from the first storage area of the buffer memory and writes the read data to the storage system and which, in response to the read instruction by the command responder, reads the specified data from the solid-state storage device and holds the read data in the second storage area of the buffer memory; and a read control which sends the host system the data held in the second storage area of the buffer memory when the deadline notification is received from the timer.
A controller manages a solid-state drive (SSD) connected to a host system. It features a mode table that tracks the SSD's status as either "Writing/Reading" or "Waiting." A monitor updates this mode table. A buffer memory has two storage areas. A timer triggers a deadline notification after a set time. When a write command arrives, the controller stores the incoming data in the first buffer area. If the mode table confirms the SSD is "Waiting," the controller instructs the SSD to write the data from the first buffer area. When a read command arrives, the timer starts. If the SSD is "Waiting," a read instruction is sent to the SSD. The SSD data is then held in the second buffer area. When the timer's deadline notification arrives, the data from the second buffer is sent to the host.
2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second storage areas of the buffer memory include a certain number of sections, the number being set based on a relation between expected delay time of writing to the solid-state storage device and allowable time as a whole system for the host system to receive a response to a request of the host system.
The controller described in Claim 1 includes a buffer memory where the first and/or second storage areas are divided into sections. The number of these sections is determined by the relationship between the expected delay when writing to the SSD and the acceptable overall response time for the host system's requests. This means the buffer size is dynamically adjusted to optimize performance based on the SSD's write speed and the host's latency requirements, aiming to provide a fast response even with potentially slow write operations.
3. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a first interface connectable to the host system and a second interface connectable to the solid-state storage device, and the solid-state storage device is a general-purpose solid-state drive.
The controller described in Claim 1 has a first interface to connect to the host and a second interface to connect to the SSD. Critically, the SSD is a general-purpose solid-state drive. This highlights the controller's ability to work with standard, off-the-shelf SSDs, meaning it isn't limited to proprietary storage devices, and thus could be integrated into existing systems with readily available components.
4. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the write instruction by the command responder includes: the write command that the command responder receives from the host system; and information indicating one of the sections of the buffer memory storing the data to be written to the solid-state storage device, and the read instruction by the command responder includes: the read command that the command responder receives from the host system; and information indicating one of the sections of the buffer memory for storing the data read from the solid-state storage device.
In the controller described in Claim 1, the write instruction to the SSD includes both the original write command received from the host and information specifying which section of the first buffer area contains the data to be written. Similarly, the read instruction includes the original read command and information about which section of the second buffer area should store the data being read from the SSD. This allows for segmented data handling and efficient management of buffer memory during read and write operations.
5. The controller according to claim 4 , wherein the data processor sends the solid-state storage device the write command received by the command responder from the host system and sends the solid-state storage device the read command received by the command responder from the host system.
In the controller described in Claim 4 (which includes details of the write/read commands including the commands from the host), the data processor sends the original write command and the read command received from the host system directly to the SSD. This is in addition to sending the data itself, effectively passing the host's commands through the controller to the SSD, potentially for logging or direct command handling by the SSD.
6. A control method of a controller for a solid-state storage device, the controller being connected to a host system and the solid-state storage device and including a buffer memory having first and second storage areas, the control method comprising the steps of: monitoring an operation mode of the solid-state storage device which is “Writing/Reading” mode or “Waiting” mode and setting the operation mode of the solid-state storage device in a mode table; counting a preset given time in response to an instruction to start counting, and sending a deadline notification when the given time is elapsed; upon receiving a write command from the host system, receiving write data being transmitted from the host system within a predetermined period after the write command, holding the write data received in the first storage area of the buffer memory, and thereafter giving a write instruction to write data to the solid-state storage device when the operation mode of the solid-state storage device is confirmed as “Waiting” in reference to the mode table, then reading data specified by the write instruction from the first storage area, and writing the read data to the solid-state storage device, and upon receiving a read command from the host system, instructing the timer to start counting, thereafter giving a read instruction to read data from the solid-state storage device when the operation mode of the solid-state storage device is confirmed as “Waiting” in reference to the mode table, then reading the data specified by the read instruction from the solid-state storage device, and holding the read data in the second storage area of the buffer memory; and sending the host system data held in the second storage area of the buffer memory when the deadline notification is received from the timer.
A control method for an SSD controller (connected to a host and an SSD, and featuring first and second buffer areas) involves these steps: First, the SSD's mode ("Writing/Reading" or "Waiting") is monitored and stored in a mode table. A timer is started and sends a notification upon completion. When a write command is received, the controller receives and stores the write data in the first buffer area. If the SSD is "Waiting," a write instruction is given, data is read from the first buffer, and written to the SSD. When a read command is received, the timer starts and if the SSD is "Waiting," a read instruction is given, data is read from the SSD, and stored in the second buffer area. Finally, when the timer expires, the data from the second buffer area is sent to the host.
7. The control method according to claim 6 , wherein the first and/or second storage area of the buffer memory include a certain number of storage sections, the number being set based on a relation between expected delay time of writing to the solid-state storage device and allowable time as a whole system for the host system to receive a response to a request of the host system.
The control method for an SSD controller as described in Claim 6, includes a buffer memory where the first and/or second storage areas are divided into a number of sections. The number of these sections is determined based on the expected delay time of writing to the SSD and the allowable time for the host system to receive a response. This suggests a dynamic allocation of buffer space to optimize performance based on storage latency and system responsiveness, ensuring a balance between speed and efficiency.
8. A controller comprising: a table in which an operation mode of solid-state storage device is stored to one of “Writing/Reading” and “Waiting” modes; a monitor which monitors the operation mode of the solid-state storage device and sets the stored operation mode of the solid-state storage device in the table; a buffer including first and second storage areas; a timer which counts a preset given time in response to an instruction to start counting and sends a deadline notification when the given time is elapsed; a command responder configured to receive write data transmitted from the host system within a predetermined period after a write command is received from the host system, hold write data in the first storage area of the buffer, and thereafter output a write instruction to write data to the solid-state storage device if the operation mode of the solid-state storage device is confirmed as “Waiting”, and instruct the timer to start counting after a read command is received from the host system and thereafter outputs a read instruction to read data from the storage system if the operating status of the solid-state storage device is judges as “Waiting”; and a data processor configured to read data from the first storage area of the buffer in response to the write instruction by the command responder and write the read data to the storage system, and read the specified data from the solid-state storage device in response to the read instruction by the command responder and hold the read data in the second storage area of the buffer; and a read control which sends the host system the data held in the second storage area of the buffer when the deadline notification is received from the timer.
A controller contains a table storing the operational mode of a solid-state storage device ("Writing/Reading" or "Waiting"). A monitor tracks the device's mode and updates the table. A buffer has first and second storage areas. A timer triggers a notification after a preset time. Upon receiving a write command, the controller receives and stores the write data in the first buffer. If the device is "Waiting," the controller instructs the device to write the data. Upon receiving a read command, the timer starts. If the device is "Waiting," the controller instructs the device to read data, storing the data in the second buffer area. When the timer expires, the data in the second buffer is sent to the host.
9. The controller according to claim 8 , wherein the first and/or second storage areas of the buffer include a certain number of sections, the number being set based on a relation between expected delay time of writing to the solid-state storage device and allowable time as a whole system for the host system to receive a response to a request of the host system.
The controller from Claim 8 includes a buffer where the first and/or second storage areas are divided into sections. The number of sections is set based on the relationship between the expected write delay to the SSD and the permissible time for the host to receive a response. The buffer is thus sized to manage write latency and ensure timely responses to host requests, balancing performance and resource usage.
10. The controller according to claim 8 , wherein the controller includes a first interface connectable to the host system and a second interface connectable to the solid-state storage device, and the solid-state storage device is a general-purpose solid-state drive.
The controller from Claim 8 includes a first interface for the host system and a second interface for the SSD, where the SSD is a general-purpose solid-state drive. This highlights the flexibility of the controller to work with standard SSDs rather than being limited to proprietary hardware, enabling broader compatibility and easier integration with existing systems.
11. The controller according to claim 8 , wherein the write instruction by the command responder includes: the write command that the command responder receives from the host system; and information indicating one of the sections of the buffer storing the data to be written to the solid-state storage device, and the read instruction by the command responder includes: the read command that the command responder receives from the host system; and information indicating one of the sections of the buffer for storing the data read from the solid-state storage device.
In the controller of Claim 8, the write instruction includes the original write command received from the host and the section of the buffer containing the data. The read instruction contains the original read command and the section of the buffer for storing the data. This provides specific addressing within the buffer for efficient data management during read and write operations, allowing for segmented data transfers.
12. The controller according to claim 8 , wherein the data processor sends the solid-state storage device the write command received by the command responder from the host system and sends the solid-state storage device the read command received by the command responder from the host system.
In the controller of Claim 8, the data processor relays both the original write command and read command received from the host system to the SSD. Besides sending the data itself, this facilitates direct command handling or logging by the SSD, allowing the SSD to be aware of the host's intentions and potentially optimize its internal operations accordingly.
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December 23, 2014
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